State: Cancelled Health Insurance Policies Can Be Renewed

State: Cancelled Health Insurance Policies Can Be Renewed

Maryland's insurance commissioner says individual policies that don't comply with the federal health care overhaul can be extended through the end of next year.

Insurance Commissioner Therese Goldsmith said in a memo to insurers Tuesday that they can renew such policies for 2014 as long as the renewals take effect before January 1.

However, Maryland law does not currently allow such policies to be renewed after January 1 or to extend into 2015. President Barack Obama announced last week that canceled policies can be extended for one year, which means that individuals can keep their coverage into 2015 if states allow it.

About 73,000 Marylanders are losing their policies because of the new healthcare law. It's not clear how many will have the option to renew for next year.

Notices to 73,000 Marylanders were sent out earlier this month. The policies were from CareFirst and six other insurance policies.

Earlier this week, in a WBAL-TV interview, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, who oversees Maryland's Health Exchange insisted that the notices sent out earlier this month were not cancellation notices.

Some of those who received these notices have told WBAL News that their insurer did tell them that their policies were being cancelled.